I’m a sucker for chocolate, cake, brownies, cookies and those heavenly delicious Tahitian caramel chocolates at Trader Joe’s (why do you constantly tempt me?). Needless to say, my sweet tooth battles have fought against my better judgement only to arise the victor.
While I love food, the creativity in it and the vast amount of delicious deserts pastry chefs can create, I have to admit that my addiction to sugar and chocolate has resulted in an epic fail for my health and my skin. It’s a daily battle I’m fighting so please keep me in your prayers.
Including too many refined sugars in your diet can lead to heart disease, throw off your body’s natural insulin level leading to breakouts and lack of energy and overall be a disaster to your body. In fact, as I was battling PCOS, one of the things my acupuncturist told me to steer clear of was sugar.
Today I still struggle. I binge on dark chocolate but I’m learning to choose quality dark chocolate and have just a piece and save the other half of the bar for tomorrow.
You can curb your cravings by getting your feel of natural sugars. It takes a while for the cravings to go away but after 48 to 72 hours you’re body should normalize.
Can I substitute?
If you’re like me and can’t imagine going too long without something sweet, try using natural agave, a sweetener in your deserts. Look for reduced sugar and Stevia products.
STAY AWAY FROM ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS!
Kicking out sugar doesn’t mean loading up on Nutrasweet, Splenda or Equal. For decades there has been debate on whether or not artificial sweeteners made with the ingredient aspartame can cause cancer, and can cause birth defects in the fetuses of pregnant women.
Keep yourself safe by getting a variety of natural sugars. Here’s a list of great sources:
- Fruit – I keep dried and fresh fruit stocked in my cabinet as often as possible and in my purse when I get my mid-day chocolate craving. It curbs my sweet tooth and gives me an energy boost.
- Vegetables – Sautee your favorites like cabbage, peppers and onions with a little bit of honey and I guarantee you won’t crave desert.
- Whole grains – Eating actual food during the day instead of the processed crap will fill us up on valuable calories and leave us satisfied longer.
Maybe we can all start a support group because God knows I need one! If you’re battling a sugar addiction, let’s chat about healthy alternatives.
Sherrell Dorsey is a natural beauty expert, writer, speaker and advocate of health, wellness and sustainability in communities of color. In addition to creating OrganicBeautyVixen.com, Sherrell writes beauty articles for Tyra Banks’s beauty and fashion site TypeF.com, Jones Magazine, MySalonScoop.com and Posh Beauty. Follow Sherrell on twitter at www.twitter.com/organicvixen and connect with her on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/
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Oh boy oh boy. (standing and speaking). Hello, my name is Dva and I am a sweetaholic. Lol.. Seriouly though I love sweets only recently have I been able to switch things up for the better. I have been focused on clean eating at least 85-90% of the time and that has helped tremendously.. I no longer buy products with high fructose corn syrup or corn syrup, white sugar, or sucralose. No more diet soad or crystal light. I make my own fruit punch if I want a sweet drink using fresh brewed tea, fruit, and grade b maple syrup or honey (very little). I use organic cane sugar if I am baking something calling for sugar. I have cut out processed foods as well and pretty much cook almost all the things goifng into my body. I have made my own preserves, pizza sauce and pizza dough, chinese stir fry sauce. My focus has been on using the best and freshest/whole ingredients. That has helped tremendously with my weight loss efforts, sugar cravings, and energy levels. It takes more work if I want pizza or chinese snce I have to make everything to eat it but I now everything that is in my food and dont have to have a chemistry degree to understand what I am putting in my body. I just take one day at a time.
(please forgive typos)
I'm also a sugar addict. I won't be able to cut down. I love my sweets and desserts! *nibbles Haribo* I'm scared of diabetes though…
this is so timely. i'm having major yeast issues. i stopped to look at my skin (mild to moderate acne for years no matter what i do), my constant belly bloating/discomfort (i've been checked and there's no medical reason plus i exercise a lot) and a white coating on my tongue often. my acupuncturist just told me to avoid sugar and diary. even with my symptoms it's hard. i might eat less sugar than lots of folks but i might also be much more sensitive to it. there seems like no good time to start. this article is helpful. i feel so frustrated that i know my health is not at it's optimal level. i bought a diet and fitness log to begin recording everything (i did this for years but stopped about a year ago). i feel need to see it all and really work on making permanent changes.
*Naturally occuring sugar substitutes.
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This is a very true statement; however, the amount of fructose that's hitting your liver is much greater with HFCS than sugar which I think is what others are trying to point out. But what you are saying is true too in that we still shouldn't discount the harmful effects of sugar. The following article presents a balanced view http://www.livestrong.com/article/499857-what-is-the-difference-between-sucrose-glucose-fructose/
Bottom line, keep your sugar content down period. One other misnomer – agave nectar is actually worse then HFCS in terms of fructose content and impact to the body. It is at least 70%fructose (some sources have it as high as 90%) while HFCS is 55% fructose. Read the following articles to better understand the harmful effects of agave as well as HFCS.
http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/
If you must use a sweetener, use honey sparingly. Better yet, use stevia, erythritol, or xylitol which are all naturally occuring sugars.
I'm not saying that HFCS is not harmful at all – its horrible in fact, my point is sugar is not THAT much better either.
"The fructose component of sugar and H.F.C.S. is metabolized primarily by the liver, while the glucose from sugar and starches is metabolized by every cell in the body. Consuming sugar (fructose and glucose) means more work for the liver than if you consumed the same number of calories of starch (glucose). And if you take that sugar in liquid form — soda or fruit juices — the fructose and glucose will hit the liver more quickly than if you consume them, say, in an apple (or several apples, to get what researchers would call the equivalent dose of sugar). The speed with which the liver has to do its work will also affect how it metabolizes the fructose and glucose." http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?pagewanted=all
Fructose is still taxing to the liver despite the form that its in.
To Carla, despite what the high fructose corn syrup propaganda commercial says, sugar is not sugar. The body reacts to sucrose, dextrose and fructose differently. High fructose corn syrup in particular, is directly linked to the development of metabolic disease whereas sucrose (cane sugar) is not.
OMG this was created for me. I actually created a post in the forum about my addiction to sugar. A support group would definitely be helpful. Thanks for this article Nikki.
http://www.the-natural-path.com/glycemic-index.html is a website with low, medium, and high glycemic index commonly eaten foods! I'm checking it out myself! Gotta love google. lol
I don't eat high GI fruits. Examples of those are bananas and grapes. Fruit I do eat are berries and apples – which are lower on the glycemic index (GI)
Carla, could you give some examples of some of the "high GI fruits you eat? Thank you in advance!!!
Hi…my name is Anonymous and I am addicted to Coconut Cake….Thank You….LOL!
Hi, I'm there too. I've battled for years with sugar addiction. We need Jesus I'm telling you. A Jesus Kicks Sugar Support group. Yup, Who wants to start it?
Hello My name is Passion and I am a sugar addict. Lol. I absolutely appreciate this post!Ive been thinking alot about my sugar intake and how its been increasing me in pounds. If I had dont have my snacks it even affects my mood. My goal is to definitely to kick my addiction.
I'm a sugarholic,;o(. I wish there was a program to stop the sugar cravings and eating. I've been known to eat ice cream for dinner instead of food. 2 days ago I decided that I need to stop since i'm already 28 and not getting any younger, so i been cutting down on sugar. Is so hard though, I crave sugar all the time.
Sugar is sugar IMO. Yes, HFCS is worse, but that doesn't mean cane sugar isn't potentially harmful either.
Thanks for the info Carla!
unbleanched, unrefined sugar from sugar cane is fine. it's high fructose corn syrup that causes metabolic disease and type 2 diabetes.
Hi! I'm not a sugar freak and don't like processed sweets. I do enjoy my occassional piece of dark chocolate from time to time. One trick I learned for a natural sweetener, is to dilute honey in water and store that in a container. I add this to my bread mixes (e.g. corn bread, banana nut bread) instead of sugar. I also only eat plain yogurt, you can add fruit or raisins and nuts to spice it up. Cutting down on sugar is a great way to prevent disease and keep one's weight down, your body will thank you immediately!
@Anonymous 4:22pm – In terms of sweets, I do eat some sweets sweetened with stevia (plant based sweetener), but for the most part, that's it. I do eat non factory farmed meats, wild fish, pastured eggs, lots of veggies, nuts & seeds. Occasionally I may have a little rice if I'm having Sushi out, but never a full serving and not very often. I may have something with sugar in it, but its usually a taste, never a serving and again, not often. I generally don't crave it, but I do have my time of the month dark chocolate cravings at times though.
Carla what types of foods do you eat? and since you kicked the sugar years ago you obviously don't crave it anymore. But do you eat any types of deserts? healthy that is?
I kicked sugar years ago: refined sugar, cane sure, natural sweeteners and even some high GI fruits and my health (and waistline) had never been better. I cant eat grains though, but its not necessary for health and nutrition anyway. I get my fiber from eating lots of veggies and seeds (flax, chia, etc).
Let's not forget the high fructose corn syrup found in anything from ketchup to yogurt to bread. I hear ya, girlfriend! I refuse to get diabetes!
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Oh man do I agree with this article! I just came back from Florida for 8 days and man did i ever mess up terribly with junk food! lol I know I was on vacation…but the fast food and sugarly deserts did a number on my face! I broke out on both sides!(my damn skin is so sensitive!) I'm so mad because I worked so hard to "exile" sugar from my diget and it was working so well! That sugar is the DEVIL!!!
Well the bright side is I'm back home and I can start over! 🙂